


F.A.T.E.

by myaekingheart



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-11 01:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15304677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myaekingheart/pseuds/myaekingheart
Summary: Four unlikely teens are brought together by the forces of fate to defeat a malevolent trio of villains





	1. Prologue

A bone-chilling breeze swept across the sleepy morning landscape of the forest as a mysterious figure glided over the trees. Jack dragged his staff along the the skyline behind him, creating a beautiful blanket of patterened frost across every surface that could house it. It was early November, the time Jack had officially instated as the beginning of winter, a smile spreading across his face as he spread his magic through the land. His first stop was the lively village of Corona, which thrived in the summertime months but enjoyed the winter nostalgia just the same. As a gentle snowfall fell across the village, Jack couldn’t help but stop to pay his respects to the mosaic in the village square– the generous king and queen of the kingdom with their long-lost daughter in their arms. Frozen fog left Jack’s lips as he heaved a sigh for the missing princess.  
“If only there was something I could do…”, he murmured to himself, continuing with his work. A pang of pain hit his heart every time he laid eyes on that same mosaic each and every winter. It couldn’t have been easy for the kindly royals, losing a child so instantly like that. The princess had only been a month old at the time of her disappearance. Just as the winter spirit pondered upon this, though, he came across a mysterious clearing he had never before noticed. Gliding down to the snowy ground, he circled the fresh meadow until he spied a strange curtain of leaves, the mask of a cave. Curious, the boy sneaked through to find an even greater clearing, lush with foliage and occupied with the gentle murmur of a grand waterfall. And in the center of it all stood a lonely, somber tower.  
Jack cocked his head at the sight of the building, the steep point of it’s roof scraping the hazy sky. Inching his way towards it, he suddenly heard a most beautiful sound wafting down from inside the fixture. The wind rustled the leaves as Jack floated up to the great window entrance of the tower, crouching on the threshold and silently creaking it’s doors open to find the inside to be like that of a quaint cottage. A flash of unexplained familiarity struck the boy as he peered further inside. Waltzing from an archway beneath a set of spiraling steps came a young girl of about seven, stumbling to carry a steaming pie in her small hands, followed by a sinister woman draped in dark blue. The young girl’s jade eyes lit up as she glanced at the window, seeing the gentle snowfall outside and, setting her food on the kitchen table, ran to lean out the window in admiration, her golden hair trailing behind her.  
The woman, who could only be assumed as the young girl’s mother, despite there being absolutely no resemblance between the two, gave a disapproving glare at the young girl as she followed her and closed the window, knocking the invisible teen off the threshold and into the open air. “Come, my flower. The chill of the outside world is no place for a delicate child like yourself”, the woman’s demeaning voice rang from inside. Jack grimaced at the woman’s words and floated towards a narrow stained glass window nearby to peek through.  
The outside world is no place for a delicate child like yourself? She looks perfectly healthy to me! Jack thought to himself, eyeing the strict woman as she watched her daughter eat. A sense of serious deja vu encumbered Jack as he watched the young girl, her face bright as the blueberries inside the pie stained her lips purple. Then it finally clicked.  
With a gasp, Jack pushed himself away from the tower, losing his concentration and plumetting onto the hard ground. The big green eyes, the silky blonde hair, the innocent smile. She is the lost princess!  
Pacing the winter terrain, Jack attempted to control himself, running a hand through his hair and breathing deep. “I found her. I can’t believe I found her! This is huge!”, he muttered to himself. He had to tell someone. It was his duty. He had found something precious that had been stolen. He was determined to get it back to where it belonged. It hadn’t been the first time. And it wouldn’t be the last. With great enthusiasm, Jack jolted from his place and darted off towards the kingdom, beaming with excitement at his discovery. But then came reality.  
Stopping in his tracks, a frown painted his face. “But…how can I tell everyone I found the kingdom’s lost princess…if nobody can ever see me?”. Defeated, Jack floated down to perch himself on a tree branch, staring up at the sky for answers. “Why? Why would you do this to me? How can you put me in such a situation but hold me back like this? It isn’t fair!”. Jack sighed. He knew no matter how much he cursed and complained, the moon would never listen. Either way, Jack had made it his duty then and there to return the lost princess to her home. One way or another, he had to.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The cheery laughter of children painted the sky with joy as the young princess and the infant viking ran rampant through the meadow campsite. The gentle breeze whipped the flaps of the burlap tents, the adults seated at a great picnic table as their hearty laughter mingled with the giggles of their offspring. Toppling over one another, the young Scottish princess genuinely smiled at her viking friend. “Hiccup! Maybe we’ll see a will o’ the wisp! Mummy says they lead you to your fate!”, Merida gasped as she hopped from her spot and ran towards the woods, motioning the young boy to follow.  
“I-I don’t think we should go in there, Mera. Dad says there’s dragons in the woods. I don’t think I’m strong enough t-to fight a dragon”, Hiccup stammered, hesitantly following his friend. Merida turned and rolled her eyes at the tot.  
“Don’t be such a baby, Hiccup! If you’re afraid of a wee dragon, then away you go back to your mummy, you scunner!”, Merida complained, turning to toddle off without him. Hiccup sighed.  
“Wait! I’ll go with you, I guess. But if we get killed–!”, he started before the redhead interrupted him with a great gasp.  
“I saw one! I saw a wisp!”. And with that, the little princess grabbed the young viking’s hand and ran with him deeper into the woods, smiling at her discovery, and followed the light of great blue wisp. Despite Merida’s enthusiasm, though, the wee Hiccup was still not convinced. As the two ran, Merida suddenly stopped as a trail of azure lights appeared, illuminating a path deeper into the trampled part of the forest. “Isn’t that the grandest ferlie you ever did see? Come along, Hiccup! Let’s follow it!”  
Collapsed upon the ground, Hiccup quickly resigned from the princess’s plans. “How about let’s not and say we did?”. Again, Merida rolled her eyes, twirling to face the little viking, her fiery curls whipping at her face.  
“Hoots mon! You’re a bletherin’ skite, Hiccup! Come on!”, she moaned but stopped as soon as her crystal eyes noticed Hiccup staring at her in terror. Or, not exactly her but behind her. Slowly turning in her place, Merida slowly came to face to face with two large, angry green eyes. Frozen in fear, Hiccup snatched the princess by the wrist and sprinted as fast his short legs would take him until they reached the clearing, the joyous calm doing little to settle their nerves. The elegant Queen Elinor was the first to question the couple’s exasperated faces, but before she could speak, there in at the outskirts of the forest stood a great, fierce dragon.  
With wide eyes, King Fergus ran forward and scooped up the toddlers, the viking clans darting forward to slay the scaly beast. “Take the lambs far from here, love!”, the king commanded his wife as he helped her load Merida and Hiccup onto Queen Elinor’s steadfast mare. Elinor nodded, fright feeding her hazel eyes, as she hopped onto her horse’s back and rode deeper into the forest, cradling the toddlers in her arms. Elinor darted onward until the sharp clashing of swords and the battle cries of men were drowned out by the pounding of steady hooves, Hiccup peering over the queen’s shoulder to spy the last sight he’d ever see of his dear mother until the great branches of the trees blocked her from view…


	2. Chapter 1, Part 1: Sight [Rapunzel]

Dull, clouded light accentuated the many dust particles floating through the tragedy of the room. With wide jade eyes, Rapunzel hyperventilated at the great amount of sudden change thrust upon her. Her mind could barely comprehend the charade of the past few hours. Death seemed to be a favoring topic. Gothel’s pale, sagging face, crippled with fear, haunted her each time she blinked, her rhythmic breathing lulling her into a wide-eyed trance…no. She couldn’t let the weight on her shoulders collapse before. With quick realization, she dove to the thief lying lifeless on her floor, gasping for air. The incredible new speed and agility Rapunzel possessed surprised her at first, the heavy, golden hair which had burdened the maiden her entire life having finally been destroyed. Her trembling fingers grasped at her choppy, brown locks, panic distributing itself across every inch of her body as Eugene deteriorated, and she spat out that deadly lullaby as best as she could remember. Why? Why couldn’t she remember? A lump blocked the words she did recollect from escaping her throat.  
“Rapunzel?”, Eugene’s hoarse voice questioned. Rapunzel paused, looking down into what little of her lover’s brown irises she could detect through his heavy lids. “You were my new dream…”, he whispered.  
“And you were mine…”, Rapunzel replied with a sob. With one last breath, Eugene closed his eyes and…  
“Rapunzel!”  
The princess snapped from her daydreams, the shadows of her mind quickly vanishing, replaced by the bright afternoon sunlight which poked the colors of the stained glass windows in Corona’s grand hall to dance across the spotless tile floors. Queen Adelaide sighed at her daughter’s disinterest.  
“Elidi, dear–”  
“Rapunzel”, the princess interrupted, correcting her mother who, with a nod, continued.  
“Rapunzel, sweetheart, it’s very important that you pay attention. The entire future of this blessed kingdom rests in your womb, should you finally accelerate it”. The princess sighed, running a hand through her soft, brunette hair. She wasn’t ready for this.  
Ever since she had left her tower, it had been nothing but change. New house, new bed, new life, new parents. Even a new name to which she wasn’t sure she was fond of yet. She was a princess now– a member of the royal court with duties, responsibilties and worst of all: pressure.  
The princess’s eyes shifted to Lady Coraline, her tutor and advisor, and studied all of her features. This uptight woman was the encyclopedia from which Rapunzel derived all she knew of being princess, from proper etiquette to ancestral history to the academic aspects. And encyclopedia was a perfect word to describe Lady Coraline. Her mousy brown hair was always pulled back into the tightest of buns, dragging the skin of her face taut over her bony structure. Her eyes were dull and disapproving, her expressions always unreadable, everything dreary hues and straight lines. Lady Coraline just nodded in agreement with Her Royal Majesty’s words as Eugene gently grasped Rapunzel’s hand beneath the table.  
“I just don’t understand why we have to come to conclusions now”, Rapunzel finally said, breaking the tense silence steadily stilling everyone in the room. Eugene could sense the concern nestled deep in Rapunzel’s eyes. He could always see how she was feeling, even when she hid her true emotions well. Queen Adelaide sighed once again.  
“Dear, the conception of an heir is a very meticulous topic indeed but it must be discussed early. A subject such as this involves careful planning, the proper technique, and utmost attention”, Queen Adelaide explained. The almost always silent King Marcus nodded in agreement to his wife’s words, those words which had begun drowning the sanity out of Rapunzel’s brain. She didn’t want to have to deal with sex, pregnancy, parenthood. Not yet, anyways. It had only been a year since she returned to the kingdom, six months since her coronation and two since her wedding. Everything was moving too fast.  
“Mother, I-I just need time to think about this, okay?”, Rapunzel responded, on the verge of her breaking point as she stood, bowed her head in a respectful farewell, and struggled to keep herself composed as she exited the room. But once she reached the hallway, the story changed dramatically. Her bare feet carried her as fast as they could take her, her heart pounding as tears of stress ran down her face. She didn’t think the “splendid” royal life would involve such great responsibility, so many dizzying decisions. Darting through each hallway and down every staircase, the princess made a beeline straight for the garden, the strong aroma of daisies and tulips helping numb her mind, their vivid petals blurring behind her teary eyes. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she let her silky gown drape down over her legs like a curtain, closed her eyes, and breathed.  
“Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine”, she whispered to herself in a shaky voice, the lullaby soothing her anxieties until soon the princess was floating on the melody, her mind transported to someplace else. Her calm utopia seemed to slowly twirl and dip her about as if she was a ballerina, losing herself in her thoughts until–  
“Punz!”  
A strong whisper and a thunk on the shoulder stirred her from her daydreams. Quickly wiping her tears, Rapunzel shifted in her spot on the white limestone bench amongst the impatiens to find a familiar face peeking above the garden’s gates. Rushing to the Scottish maiden’s aid, Merida came rushing into the solace of the garden, fear painting her face. One large, ginger curl fell into her crystal eyes as she panted in an attempt to catch her breath. Her woolen dress was torn at the bottom and blood ran down her arm. Dirt was smeared across her face and twigs tangled about her ringlets.  
“Merida!”, Rapunzel gasped at her friends appearance. She knew Merida was one to get down and dirty but this…something was wrong. “Wh-what happened to you?!”, Rapunzel questioned as she gently pulled Merida over to the bench and brushed the curls away from her face.  
Breathlessly, Merida responded with one word: “Kidnapped”.


	3. Chapter 1, Part 2: Sound [Merida]

The blinding morning sunlight stirred the Scottish princess from her enlightened slumber, a mop of red curls hiding her face as Queen Elinor cheerily announced her daughter’s wake-up call. Merida groaned at the coming of morning, the sun just peaking over the horizon, as she rolled away from the window and pulled her rough beige sheets up over her curly-haired head.  
“Come now, dear! We’ve got lots of preparations to attend to! The ball is in three days time!”, Her Majesty announced with utmost joy. Merida just moaned and wedged her head beneath her pillows. For months now the maiden had heard of nothing but this social event in which she was being forced into. Merida had the invitation memorized, every dip and curl of it’s gold print ingrained in her memory, the message reading of a grand masquerade for all the members of the Disney Princess Royal Court. Disgust tingled in Merida’s fingertips at the thought of it all: the sparkly dress, the millions of people, the meticulous choreography. Everything was fine lines caked with glitter and makeup. Merida was the speck of dirt that would cloud it’s glossy perfection.  
“Merida, all of the princesses are to attend. You are courageous and headstrong– a great role model for any young girl. You’ll be fine! Maybe you’ll even meet a fine young lad fit for betrothal!”, Queen Elinor attempted to explain to her daughter as the two sped down the stony staircase for breakfast, their jade and teal gowns swishing in contrast.  
“But I’m not princess material! All of those peppy lasses are covered in diadems and pearls, with their overflowing breasts and anorexic waists! I’m a free spirit, not a trophy!”, Merida counteracted. Every fiber of her being was prepared to fight in opposition. Her mother sighed as she reached the bottom of the steps, opening her mouth to speak until dizziness interrupted. Merida steadied her mother who, in the past few weeks, was steadily growing ill from unknown sources, terror radiating from the princess’s crystal irises. “Y-you know what, Mum”, she stuttered. “I-I actually think I’ll be fine. I’ll make do.”  
Queen Elinor nodded tiredly at her daughter’s compromise as she trudged to the kitchen table, gratefully taking refuge in her seat with an exhausted sigh. Merida studied her mother’s altering features as she got comfortable beside her. The queen’s once perfectly composed face was now suddenly growing pale and weary, spidery creases jutting from the corners of her eyes and her cheek bones much more apparent. Her primly straight hair which once gleamed a healthy chestnut was now burdened with tangles and fading into a mousy brown, fashioned into one long, thin braid down the queen’s back. Her bony fingers trembled slightly as they shuffled through the day’s mail.  
As Merida concentrated on her mother’s every movement, her father’s booming voice echoed in her ears as he scolded her adolescent brothers, pastries flying across the room and leaving jelly stains on the wall. Despite all the chaos, Merida seemed to notice none of it. She was completely transfixed on the queen. Had her dresses always been so baggy on her suddenly thin frame? Had her skin always had such a dull, pale luster? Merida knew the answer to all of those questions was a stable no. And Elinor knew her daughter noticed, yet the queen contained too much self-pride to admit she needed medical attention. She shoved her steadily decreasing health aside. Everything now centered on Merida.  
“I contacted Eudora about a new dress and sent her your measurements so you should have your gown in the next few days. I made sure to give her your preferences”, Elinor explained with fair exhaustion, gripping the edge of the table. Merida nodded and thanked her mother halfheartedly, her eyes focused on her mother’s weak hands before shifting to her face as the queen stammered with wide eyes, “F-Fergus…”. Before Elinor could finish her sentence, she gently collapsed onto the floor with a light thud.

Watery eyes focused on every crevice within the stone walls through blurry sight as Merida sat curled up on the cold floor, her ear firmly pressed against the thick door of her parents bedroom. Nothing. Breathing in gasps, the princess pulled her knees up to her chest and stared at the ceiling, her hair cushioning her head against the wall. Maudie’s hefty frame was visible through the doorway of the other room, solemnly chaperoning Hamish, Hubert, and Harris as they quietly discussed their mischievous topics.  
Silence finally lifted as the medic, whose face was painted with remorse, emerged from the room. He shook his head. “It doesn’t look good. It seems as though the queen is suffering from a great illness for which there is no known cure as of yet. It’d be smart to discuss your alternate monarchy arrangements and soon”. Merida’s heart rate quickened at the elderly man’s words which pierced her chest like a rusted dagger.  
“Y-you mean she’s…”, Merida stammered through the lump in her throat. She couldn’t breathe. The medic just nodded solemnly. “No…no…”, Merida muttered as tears streamed further down her face. She had lost her mother once, she wasn’t ready to lose her again. All eyes turned on the princess as she shrieked in misery, collapsing on the floor with her hands covering her face, tears spilling into her palms. King Fergus, whose face was sullen yet composed, gently laid a hand on his daughter’s shoulder only for her to quickly shake it off. “I just want to be left alone”, she muttered fiercely before forcing herself up off the ground and darting down the hallway, swallowing back her sobs. The slam of her bedroom door echoed down the hallway as the princess dove onto the bench by her window, it’s thin cushion doing little to break her fall. Curling up into a ball, she pressed her hands together tight and prayed that somehow, some way, her mother would be spared. Merida wasn’t usually the praying type so she had high hopes that God would somehow hear her rare pleas and take them seriously.  
Nothing.  
Burying her face in the thick fabric of her sleeves, Merida let the wool of her dress absorb her tears until her depression was suddenly interrupted by a quick cloak of darkness and a villainous chuckle. The maiden struggled against the dark burlap of her prison as she felt two muscular hands lift her up out of her room and pass her down to the ground, slinging the sack she resided in over their shoulder and carrying on into the woods.  
“Wait until Stoick hears how great this plan of ours worked”, the unfamiliar voice of a tough female spoke as Merida struggled to escape her confinement, kicking at her captor and screaming Scottish cuss words.  
“She’s feisty, isn’t she?”, another voice asked.  
“Sh-she’s not gonna hurt is, is she?”, yet another questioned, this one sounding as if originating from a weak teeange boy just entering puberty.  
“Oh, buck up Fishlegs! We’re Vikings! This little pansy of a princess is no match for us. Plus, I like ‘em feisty”, Merida’s captor reassured the group, speaking his last sentence in a suggestive tone. Merida kneed the boy as hard as she could in response, gasping at the word “viking”. Her father had warned Merida plenty of times of the Vikings of Berk, ranting of how heartless and evil they were. Frankly, at the moment, Merida couldn’t agree more. Fears of becoming a sex slave to the masked hellion who had snatched her away began creeping into her mind. The princess would’ve taken that glittery dance over this kidnapping any day and she cursed at herself under her breath for not having her bow.  
Just as she began giving up with her squirming, she felt her captor drop her confinement with a generous thud, the bite of the harsh earth beneath her ringing through her body.  
“Snotlout! What did you do this time?!”, a droning voice questioned. Merida couldn’t help but think how annoying it sounded.  
“Didn’t your dad tell you? The first part of our plan of attack is kidnapping the princess!”, Merida’s captor, Snotlout, explained as she heard him bend down and wedge open the sack. As soon as Merida’s eyes caught daylight, she busted from her prison and elbowed the boy in the face, stealing his dull-bladed sword from about his waist in the process and holding out fiercely in defense. Quickly scanning the group about her, she instantly recognized them as Vikings indeed but one particular one caught her eye. He seemed only a few inches taller than she, armed with nothing but a shield and flanked on either side by a great black dragon and a tough blonde. His brunette hair was fairly messy, a tiny braid tangled within the locks, and his jade eyes radiated a kindness unlike anything expressed by the others. He held out his hands in gentle surrender, studying her every feature. Her snout-nosed captor chortled at their brief amazement with one another, feeding Merida the fuel she needed to strike back.  
Within seconds, Merida swung the blade of the unclean sword about towards the boy, the other Viking teens lunging at her as she artfully wielded her weapon, dirt and blood caking her dress and raw skin as she fought her way out of the pile. As soon as she could breathe, she ran.  
The steady pounding of her feet carried her to the first safe place she could think of: Corona. Rapunzel would no doubt be willing to help her. A warm trickle slid steadily down Merida’s cheek as she weaved through the trees, the muddy and torn bottom of her dress sending a draft up her bare legs. Gasping for air, she finally collasped just on the outskirts of the palace’s backyard, the soft murmur of a sad song reaching her ears: Rapunzel. Mustering up what little energy she had left, Merida darted to the stony gates into the castle’s quiet garden, whispering the sun princess’s name as she thunked her on the shoulder. Rapunzel whipped around, quickly wiping away her own tears, and sprinted to help her friend.  
“Merida!” Rapunzel gasped, brushing a fiery curl from her friend’s face. “Wh-what happened to you?!”  
As Merida gasped for air, she breathed the only word that could possibly explain anything: “Kidnapped”.  
Rapunzel’s face widened in fear as she began drilling Merida with questions. “Who did this to you? What do they want? Why?”  
“Rapunzel, slow down!”, Merida commanded, instantly quieting her friend as she stared curiously at the Scottish maiden’s appearance. Taking a few more deep breaths, Merida explained everything that had happened that morning, shedding heavy tears as a lump rose in her throat. Wrapping her arms around her, Rapunzel comforted the curly-haired girl with promises full of hope, too attentive to explain her own problems. Her focus was all on Merida now.  
“Shouldn’t you go back home? With your mother? And warn your father of–?” Rapunzel began but Merida interrupted her with a quick shake of the head, her flaming ringlets bouncing with the movement.  
“My father’s main concern is my mum. Warning him of this would only stress him further”, Merida explained in a cracking voice, running a hand over her eyes. Rapunzel nodded in understanding, apologizing for the adversity. “I just don’t get it”, Merida continued. “Why would the Vikings attack now…if they’ve been angry with us for almost 12 years?”. She shook her head yet again, her thoughts racing. But no matter how much fair contemplation she explored, Merida couldn’t help but keep thinking back to that one kind Viking, his jade eyes expressing a gentleness she had never imagined could exist in a Viking. She hadn’t caught his name, but something seemed so unexplainably familiar about him. The viking beside a dragon…


End file.
